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00:00They convicted the wrong guys
00:02It's harder to accept being in here when you know you didn't do anything
00:06Who better to have hit the road than a journalist that could bring the truth to light your motion to vacate your convictions is granted
00:16If you have one person that's innocent, that's one too many. I was like Dan
00:22You really need to talk to this guy. Go out there and find the facts in my case when you do that
00:27You'll find that I'm innocent. The evidence that convicted JJ was only eyewitness evidence
00:34I don't know if I really picked out the rank person. My grandchildren
00:38Have had to live through this. What's happened to you is a product of what happened to me. I feel if you there'd be different
00:45JJ's lawyers bring the case to the DA's office. That's the most direct way
00:50When Dateline aired I thought people would take it seriously
00:57So you did it ready?
00:58I guess the order is where I am when I watch everyone too.
00:59Thank you
01:00Thank you
01:01Thank you
01:15Thank you
01:16Thank you
01:17Thank you
01:18Thank you
01:19Alright, it's been eight months since we broadcast this story. Did you think you'd still be here?
01:42Absolutely not
01:45Did you see the show?
01:47I was able to see the show. I watched it right here
01:49From where, right? You watched it?
01:51Right here on that TA
01:52How's the reaction been from your fellow inmates?
01:55Believe it or not a lot of them are pissed off. They're wondering what I'm still doing here
01:59You know, if anybody was to have hope it would be me and everybody had hope in me
02:03But I'm still here
02:05You were on the national television, didn't you?
02:07I was on national television
02:08With a whole lot of people supporting me now
02:11We're still not being heard
02:14We're still not being heard
02:44I
02:51I
02:54I
02:55I
02:58I
03:01I
03:02I
03:04I
03:07I
03:08I
03:10I
03:11I
03:12I
03:14Even though I tried to make myself believe every year that I would be released, the more
03:24time I had in, the less I started to believe in that.
03:30And that was hard to accept.
03:36I started going to the Law Library at least five days a week.
03:42Knowing what I was going through, I felt like obligated to try to help other people in
03:47my situation.
03:52I met Eric Glisson when I got to Sing Sing.
03:54We started working together and as we started to get closer, I started to realize that this
04:00guy has the same situation as me.
04:03And so at that point, I had to call Dan and I was just like, Dan, we have another one.
04:10Listen.
04:11Yeah.
04:12On your feet.
04:13Right.
04:14Pause.
04:15You're going to film me?
04:16Yeah.
04:17Of course I'm going to film you.
04:18I saw Velasquez this morning.
04:19I was talking to him the other night.
04:20It's fine.
04:21How long have you been incarcerated?
04:22Seventeen and a half.
04:23I've been sitting in here lingering every day wondering whether this mistake will be
04:27correct and that, you know, if I'll ever get out of here.
04:29He told me that he had been convicted of killing a cab driver by the name of Bath Diop in 1995
04:42in the Bronx and that five other people were charged with him and they were all innocent.
04:49Eric was 20 and a father to a newborn daughter when he was arrested.
04:56She was just born.
04:57I got to see her come out.
04:58I was there at the hospital.
04:59We brought her home.
05:00And two weeks after that, they just showed up one day and just arrested me.
05:03During the interrogation, they told me that they was arresting me for murder.
05:04And at that point, everything's become familiar.
05:22E.D.
05:32everything's become surreal mr fields I'm gonna try to see my daughter that's
05:44it I was just want to be with my daughter if I knew what took place that night if
05:48I knew who did anything I would tell you I would tell you sir mr. fields I'm
05:53going to give you your rights one last time sir you have the right to make a
05:57statement or to remain silent I'm gonna read you your rights first because I don't know what
06:02happened that night because I was not sure all I ask you is that you allow me to read your rights
06:08you're blaming me for something I don't know nothing about the only evidence connecting
06:18Eric to this crime was one woman's eyewitness testimony
06:27she claimed that from her bathroom window she could see everything that happened she could see
06:34what they did what they said how bath the op was shot and she named all of these people including
06:42Eric listen but when I did my investigation I go over to where she said she saw all of this happen
06:54and I look out the window and it is literally impossible to have seen what she said she saw the lead
07:04detective never even did that I couldn't believe it the more I'm learning about Eric's case and the
07:13more I'm filming with him the more outrageous this is becoming to me he told me that from his cell he
07:21figured out who the real killers were I was doing freedom of information request with the DA's office
07:29it took me nearly 16 17 years and eventually I obtained the victim cell phone records the police said
07:38that after the cab driver murder his cell phone was stolen and I found hundreds of calls after his death
07:46from these guys who were part of a gang called sex money murder I write a letter to the US Attorney's
07:54Office miraculously this letter landed on the desk of John O'Malley so I'm an investigator with the United
08:01States Attorney's Office in the Southern District and I'm assigned to the violent crimes unit a decade
08:06earlier federal investigator John O'Malley had investigated a gang called sex money murder and
08:12two of those gang members Vega and Rodriguez confessed to him that they were the shooters
08:17John O'Malley calls the Bronx precinct multiple times asking about an open homicide they tell him we don't
08:25have an unsolved cab driver murder on Crows Avenue nine years later Eric Lisson's letter arrives I
08:33started reading the letter when he mentioned the cab driver in the area I mean it just came right back to me about what
08:38Vega told me the time period was right and you know I know the area as I said I grew up there so it kind of just grabbed on to
08:47me and I just kept reading the letter he said to himself I know who committed this murder John O'Malley drives up to
08:55Sing Sing and he sees Eric I held up the letter and I said did you write this letter and he said yes and he got very
09:02emotional and he he was I think he like felt it almost to his knees or at least sat down and he
09:10thought he said I didn't do this you know he said I didn't do this murder so I said to him look I think
09:17I know who did it as you sit here today is it still your belief sir that the overwhelming evidence is
09:24that Vega and Rodriguez acted alone in the shooting and kill it about the objections yes
09:31John O'Malley promises Eric as soon as I leave the prison I will call your attorney and he did
09:37Mr. John O'Malley he asked me did I write that letter and I told him yes and he said we're sorry
09:50I said sorry for what he says I know you're innocent I was so shocked I said what do you mean by that
09:58and he said I know the guys who committed the crime you're in here for we're going to get this thing
10:03resolved the key though is to try to get it resolved as quickly as possible and get you
10:08out of here I know every day you're here is the day that you're at risk why do they do this to people
10:18federal investigator John O'Malley writes an affidavit explaining the history of the case and why
10:27he knows Eric is innocent and I got NBC's local news station to do a story about Eric's plight now we
10:37turn to a news for exclusive imagine spending 15 years behind bars for a crime you didn't commit
10:42federal prosecutors say the case relied on heavily questionable testimony you're waiting for this
10:47guard to come and open up that gate and tell you you know we made a mistake and you're free to go home
10:53hey Eric how you going Mr. Fox good to see you all right what's up you working good yeah thank you
11:07so you know I wouldn't be coming up here except for something that I think is important you know that
11:13the DA is now prepared to give you a conditional dismissal of the indictment and make Kate the conviction
11:23well it hasn't set in yet the initial shot I know all the fighting that we've done over these years
11:35um I don't know what to say right now but they're gonna want you to wear a bracelet for 90 days
11:45well if that's that's a condition of my freedom and I'm willing that's what I thought well what
11:51about college you know I'm gonna have to go from here out there to the campus and we can talk to
11:56Mercy College about transferring you to Manhattan right yeah because I need those those credits for
12:02we don't want you to lose that and my heart is beating so fast I'm very happy I don't know what
12:08I mean you try to prepare yourself for this day when you're doing all of this detective work putting
12:14to put in pieces together thank you I'm so happy for you thank you for all the work you've done for me
12:20the additional vacator of conviction as to mr. glissman that's why things is granted at this time on
12:37consent and further on consent each defendant is released on their own licenses and that's the third of their
12:44you know I thought I'm free I'm happy and my family are happy for me but I left I left a lot of
13:06innocence look new and sing sing as well so you know my heart goes out to them and um their names
13:12is Johnny Adrian Velazquez and Richard Rosario oh my daughter where's Cynthia hello you got it upside down
13:24hello oh hello yeah I had the phone upside down that was my first cell phone call
13:37wow wow you know I used to sleep on a metal frame
13:56I know John Adrian is watching the news right now up in sing sing I left him behind so you know I can't
14:12enjoy this 100 percent that man he he suffers every day I know because I shared his suffering
14:20but one day he'll experience the same thing I'm going through very soon after I made that call with Dan
14:45within months Eric was out it was just an amazing moment because for many years the doors were just
14:54being shut on us and around this time the conviction integrity unit finally agreed to meet with me it was
15:03a unit that was going to look at potential cases where they may have been issues that led to the wrong
15:12person being incarcerated I'm like okay this is it let's begin who was up when you woke up that day
15:22we're talking about Tuesday the 27th 27th yeah did you actually leave the apartment building that day
15:29what was your routine like during that time period you were just spending time with your family yes
15:34so there was no job not at the time I'm just trying to get a sense of what you were doing there if
15:40you're trying to ask if I've ever sold drugs out there I did the questions were making me look
15:45like a bad guy the drugs have to come from somebody it has to get bagged up there's a percentage gotten
15:51from that from the guys on the street give anybody a cut and I have to give anybody my percentage that's
15:56why I work by myself you had the good cop bad cop play going on then you had this other person who's
16:01just observing every detail of my face so when did you learn that the crime occurred on January 27th
16:11what led to the phone call with your mother in terms of did you call her did she pull you if you could
16:17have it unfold for me then I'll understand why it took a long in recalling it and going back and
16:23answering your question and answering your question and being bounced around you know much my story is
16:29almost having legs and walking in a different path I didn't do this crime these people aren't
16:35treating me like an innocent person it was the furthest from my expectations this is this is a long
16:42time today so we appreciate your time I appreciate your time I appreciate your consideration thank you
16:48um and the CIU said that they had interviewed numerous people had looked at a lot of documentary
16:58evidence and that they felt that there wasn't enough to overturn JJ's conviction they were going to stand
17:05by it but they never even spoke with JJ's alibi witnesses
17:21everyone's ready right good morning the conviction integrity unit turned out to be a joke the conviction
17:31integrity unit unit turned out to be a colossal waste of our time as attorneys and much more
17:37significantly a colossal waste of time for a man who sits in a jail cell and that's why we have filed
17:46the exhibits the briefs far in excess of a hundred pages today so that we now can go to a real neutral
17:55arbiter a judge it's 15 years later and I'm standing here again it's been a cruel joke what the DA has played
18:04on this family because we trusted in him to bring us justice and he didn't bring us justice I am hopeful
18:13and so is John Adrian Velasquez that we will get justice in this court the justice system must change it must change the way it convicts people thank you
18:29this is also Eric Glesson who was just recently released from prison
18:38it's onerated after 17 years and nine months
18:44because of an unjust conviction
18:48I'm going down this path learning more and more about how the system is built
19:00this is an adversarial system where prosecutors have tremendous power and once an innocent person is convicted
19:11it's nearly impossible to get justice
19:14it happens over and over and over again
19:41when I speak to individuals who share a similar situation it's not always what they say it's how they say it
19:52I met Johnny and Capier and Sing Sing
19:55he was a clerk in the law library and when he saw the type of research that I was doing he was like
20:02I got the same issues
20:03Johnny and Capier he was wrongfully convicted
20:08so paint a picture for me
20:12what life was like for you leading up to this weekend
20:15you had just turned 18
20:17I started out as a young DJ
20:19while doing Sweet Sixteen's birthday parties
20:23I was into the DJ and dancing culture
20:26when I was going out to Roseland
20:29that night
20:30everybody's having a good time
20:34I'm with girls
20:36I was just enjoying myself
20:38with my friends
20:40as a teenager
20:41the next day
20:48I wake up
20:49turn on TV
20:50random violence has taken the life of a young tourist from Utah
20:53here in the city tonight
20:54he was murdered on a subway platform
20:56while vacationing in New York
20:58a gang of youths armed with a knife and a box cutter approached
21:02Brian came to his mother's aid
21:04and was stabbed once in the chest
21:05the motive for the mugging according to the cops
21:08they wanted money to go dancing at Roseland
21:10I see all over the news about a crime
21:14and someone died in the subway station
21:17it's mentioning Roseland
21:19and I'm saying to myself
21:20we got to Manhattan on the subway
21:22but no one at Roseland that night
21:25had ever mentioned anything to me
21:27about the crime
21:29were you friends with some of the people
21:31who were participating in this crime
21:34yes
21:34a few hours later
21:41detectives come to my house
21:43and the detectives ask me
21:45if I was out at Roseland that night
21:48and I said that I was
21:49and they take me to the precinct
21:51I get inside the room
21:55Detective Casey immediately tells me
22:05he had all my friends in custody
22:08and that he already knew what happened
22:10I kept telling the detective
22:12I was not a part of this
22:13I didn't do anything
22:14and he keeps telling me that I'm a liar
22:16he walked right behind me
22:18grabbed my hair
22:19pushed my hair in front
22:20where I banged my head into the table
22:22and put his shoe on my chest
22:24I thought that I wasn't lying
22:28so
22:31he said that
22:34if I wanted to go home
22:37that all I had to do was memorize the story
22:40I just listened to him very attentively
22:50about what he wanted me to say
22:52and he takes me to the other room
22:54and when I'm in that room
22:56I see a camera
22:57we are currently at the Midtown North Precinct
23:00with me in the room is Detective Donald Casey
23:04and Detective James Christie
23:06both are detectives with the New York City Transit Police
23:08could you state your name?
23:11Johnny and Kathy
23:12did you make a previous statement
23:14to Detective Christie
23:16and Detective Casey
23:17who are currently in the room?
23:19yes
23:19did Emilio have his box cutter out?
23:23yes he did
23:23and what was said?
23:25he went behind a guy
23:26who tapped him on the shoulder
23:27and said give me your money
23:29and what did you say?
23:31I didn't
23:31I can't even call him
23:32I didn't say nothing like that
23:34I didn't say nothing to nobody
23:37was Rockstar displaying his knife at that time?
23:44not that I saw him
23:45okay
23:46do you remember when you made a statement earlier
23:49to Detective Christie and Detective Casey
23:51this was about an hour or two ago
23:53that you said Rockstar also had a knife
23:55which he also displayed?
23:58yes
23:58okay
23:59and you knew that you were going to participate in the robbery
24:03yes
24:04and you did participate in the robbery
24:05yes
24:06I thought that
24:07I gave them what they wanted to hear
24:10in order for me to go home
24:11do you have anything from you wish to say?
24:14okay
24:15that includes the interview
24:16and moments later
24:22they started fingerprinting me
24:23and right there
24:25at that moment
24:25that was the very first time
24:27throughout that whole night
24:29okay
24:30that I knew that I was never going to go back home
24:33and only one person out of the seven did the stabbing
24:55exactly
24:56but everybody
24:57was arrested for murder
24:59exactly
25:00I was being charged with felony murder
25:03but I had nothing whatsoever to do with this crime
25:08they play your confession tape for the jury
25:11yes
25:12they come back with the verdict
25:14guilty
25:15the judge came back
25:19and he sentenced us to 25 to life
25:21two decades after Johnny's conviction
25:36an article by journalist Bill Hughes
25:38caught the attention of a former parole board chairman
25:41together they tracked down a witness
25:44who said that Johnny was not on the subway platform
25:47when the crime occurred
25:48and in 2015
25:50Johnny was granted a new hearing
25:52where did you and Johnny speak?
26:07in the bench
26:09did you see him go onto the platform?
26:12no
26:12Luis Montero was interrogated
26:15by some of the same detectives
26:17who questioned Johnny and Capier
26:18they was asking questions
26:21and they didn't hear what they wanted to hear
26:23they started to hit me
26:25they just hit me
26:27you know
26:27so that's when the nightmare started
26:30you know
26:30several witnesses testified
26:35and then right in the middle of the hearing
26:37a new witness came forward
26:39who saw the case in the news
26:40she didn't want to be filmed
26:43but she also testified
26:45that she was there that night
26:47saw what happened
26:48and Johnny was not on the subway platform
26:50when the crime occurred
26:51under the newly discovered evidence
26:55the court does find
26:56that the defense has borne
26:58the burden of proof
27:00the court is going to set aside
27:02the convictions
27:03and the court is going to order a new trial
27:05on those grounds
27:07the court does not really believe
27:09that there's any reason for him
27:12to run
27:13and therefore
27:15the court will allow him
27:17but with the
27:19Eric Glisson
27:31absolutely
27:32absolutely
27:33want to skip this?
27:36Eric Glisson's another exoneree
27:38how you doing brother?
27:41how's everything?
27:43listen man
27:44you know
27:44I was there for you
27:45when you got out
27:46and I'm just so glad
27:47to hear you right now
27:48you being there for me right now
27:50that I'm finally out brother
27:51while I was reporting
28:18on Johnny's case
28:19JJ called me
28:21and he said to me
28:23I have another case for you
28:25what are you talking about?
28:27another one?
28:43Richard Rosario
28:44came to Sing Sing
28:46and he ended up getting transferred out
28:48his incarceration
28:50his incarceration was a tough one
28:51you can see years of pain
28:55drowning him
28:56and when you start to look at the facts
29:00you realize
29:02this man had 13 alibis
29:0413 alibis
29:06that he was in Florida
29:07when a crime was taking place
29:10in the Bronx
29:10like how does this happen?
29:14so I felt compelled to help him
29:16good to see you
29:20the last is this one yesterday
29:22he says how do you
29:23what's going on with him
29:25I don't even
29:26that make it difficult for that?
29:29of course
29:30make it over for everybody
29:31so your case you're saying
29:36is actually very simple
29:38at the time
29:39it could have been simple
29:40a murder happened in the Bronx
29:42you say 13 people
29:44were with you in Florida
29:45not only 13 people
29:47documentary evidence
29:48could have proven
29:49that I was in Florida
29:50so you gave them 13 names
29:51their phone numbers
29:52their addresses
29:53descriptions of
29:54cars
29:57apartments I've been in
29:58I gave them a Western Union
30:00transaction that had taken place
30:02around the time
30:03and you gave them all of this
30:05that first day
30:06everything
30:06I went into the precinct
30:08you know voluntarily
30:09I gave them all this information
30:11why not investigate it then?
30:16sorry man
30:17give me a touch
30:18alright
30:18thank you man
30:19thank you man
30:19in 1996
30:23a 17 year old
30:25named George Colazzo
30:26was walking in the Bronx
30:27and a man came up behind him
30:30and shot him in the head
30:31two eyewitnesses
30:33picked out a picture
30:34of Richard Rosario
30:35he was convicted
30:37and sentenced to 25 years to life
30:39no one
30:40from the NYPD
30:42or the Bronx District Attorney's Office
30:43ever went to interview
30:45Richard's alibi witnesses
30:46and there was a miscommunication
30:50among his own attorneys
30:52so out of the 13 alibi witnesses
30:54only two of them
30:56testified at his trial
30:57clearly the jury
30:59didn't believe them
31:00so I got a list
31:02of Richard's alibi witnesses
31:04from his new attorneys
31:05your destination is ahead
31:10and the people that I spoke with
31:12were perhaps
31:14the most credible
31:15alibi witnesses
31:16of any case
31:18that I've ever covered
31:19in my career
31:19tell me what you do for the name
31:25I'm a deputy sheriff
31:27for the county
31:27tell me why you feel compelled
31:29to stand here in uniform
31:30and talk about Richard Rosario's case
31:33it is
31:33one thousand percent impossible
31:36for Richard to have committed that crime
31:38there's no way
31:40he can't be in New York and Florida
31:41at the same time
31:42my son was born on June 20th 1996
31:45and they're claiming that Richard
31:47killed someone on June 19th 1996
31:51which that's physically impossible
31:53because he was in my house
31:55when we were leaving
31:56for my wife to go to the hospital
31:58he was sitting on my sofa
32:00and I remember telling Rich
32:01you gotta go
32:02my baby's coming
32:03did you see him ever again?
32:05I did
32:05I was discharged on the 21st
32:08and he came by to see the baby
32:09this is my oldest son
32:12the scary part about it
32:14is when I look at him
32:15this is how much time has gone by
32:17that Richard's been in jail
32:19from the time that he was born
32:21this is how long it's been
32:24I'm an assistant pastor
32:28at the church
32:29why are you here talking to us?
32:31why do you think this is important?
32:33well if my grandson
32:34had not been born
32:35on the 20th of June
32:37this would be nothing to me
32:39Richard walked up the step here
32:42and greeted me
32:43and told me that my daughter-in-law
32:46had just had the baby
32:47and I know that he was here
32:48that's all I know
32:50yeah he was here
33:02when Richard was convicted
33:03and sent away
33:04he was ripped away
33:06from his wife
33:07and two little children
33:08it was like a grenade
33:10was thrown into his life
33:12and theirs
33:13growing up
33:22I knew that he was in prison
33:24I just never actually told
33:25people he was in prison
33:27I just always said
33:29he was away
33:30the first thing
33:32they're gonna think is
33:33he's a bad man
33:35nothing good
33:35it comes out of saying
33:36that someone's in prison
33:37that someone's in prison
33:37yeah
33:38what's up
33:49what's up
33:53hi dad
33:54you saved
33:55how are you
33:57what's up
33:58what's up
33:58baby
33:58what's up
34:01what's up
34:01what's up
34:03what's up
34:03what's up
34:04how was your trip over
34:09it was good
34:10it was good
34:11it was good
34:11yeah
34:11on the way over here
34:13we were talking about
34:14the fact that
34:16we kind of
34:16and I'm realizing
34:18how much we do it
34:18we kind of
34:19try to make the visits
34:20as positive as possible
34:22yeah
34:23I've always told y'all
34:24y'all wanna ask me anything
34:25you can go ahead and ask me
34:27I don't
34:28I don't
34:29I feel like I can't even
34:40come up to work
34:40to help my feet
34:41I mean just let it out man
34:45it breaks my heart
34:47every time
34:47I have to come in
34:49I get anxiety
34:52before I come
34:53I get too
34:54depressed when I leave
34:57and I feel like
35:00the older I get
35:01the worse it gets
35:04for me
35:04yeah
35:05I'm gonna let this
35:07take you out
35:07and destroy your life
35:10because of what
35:11they did to me
35:11I love y'all
35:13and I miss y'all
35:13and I'm gonna keep
35:14fighting
35:27year after year
35:33after year
35:34every single time
35:35Richard filed an appeal
35:37it was denied
35:38including in 2004
35:42when he was granted
35:43a hearing
35:43and seven of his
35:45alibi witnesses testified
35:46but the judge ruled
35:49their testimony
35:49would not have
35:50changed the jury's verdict
35:51then in January 2016
35:55a new district attorney
35:57took office
35:58Rosario asked me
36:00asked him to talk to me
36:02and he was talking to me
36:02but he never went to Florida either
36:04that's the whole problem
36:06because the two witnesses
36:07that did testify in the trial
36:09he never even prepped them
36:11they flew up
36:12they came to court that day
36:14he just put them on the stand
36:15so I mean that's part of
36:17the you know
36:18part of the things
36:19that I had to consider
36:20as well
36:20before I took office
36:22I met with the
36:23exoneration initiative
36:24about Mr. Rosario
36:26he had an alibi defense
36:28that was never investigated
36:30so the first thing I did was
36:32let's investigate the alibi
36:34you sent somebody down
36:35to talk to them right
36:36yes I sent somebody down
36:38why has that not happened
36:39in 20 years
36:40I cannot speak for that
36:42and it's the way that
36:43I would have approached it
36:45I need a chance
36:46to investigate it more
36:47but in the meantime
36:48there's no reason
36:50for him to have to
36:51wait behind bars
36:52and you are hereby releasing
37:11a motion that they came to
37:12the victim is granted
37:13and you are hereby releasing
37:15applause
37:18applause
37:18applause
37:19applause
37:19applause
37:20applause
37:20applause
37:21applause
37:21applause
37:25applause
37:26applause
37:26applause
37:32applause
37:32What you mean
37:33let's go this way
37:38read johnny's room for the last question
37:40we order God's answer you
37:42complete for the mistake
37:43It's all right, man.
37:44Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
37:55To see somebody that I was so close to walk out,
37:59and I seen it with each instance.
38:02I saw it with Richard Rosario.
38:03I saw it with Johnny and Capier.
38:06I saw it with Eric Glisson.
38:10Every time, it just filled my heart more and more.
38:12First, because they all deserved it
38:15and did not deserve to be there.
38:17But secondly, the more people that get out,
38:21the wider the door opens for the rest of us.
38:23Prison is designed for you to waste your life.
38:29You're totally ostracized.
38:30It's by design.
38:32But the reality is, is that I invested in my life.
38:36I am very excited to see a group of men who have decided to be role models in a place like a max
38:55security correctional facility.
38:57Every graduation is very important because it represents success in human beings who are motivated
39:03to move forward in life and live a fulfilled life and to be the person who they were meant to be.
39:08Every graduation is very important because it represents success in human beings who are motivated to move forward in life and live a fulfilled life and to be the person who they were meant to be.
39:23When I got this position as superintendent, I knew who JJ was, but I didn't know him, know him.
39:30I saw the Dateline show and I felt bad that he was still locked up.
39:36It's difficult thinking about somebody who's in prison when you know they didn't commit the crime.
39:43Or at least you believe they didn't commit it.
39:46That's not a, that's not an easy thing to live with.
39:50Something about JJ, he was a natural born leader.
39:55We started working together to make prison a better place.
40:01Creating safe spaces, that's life changing.
40:05And that was something that superintendent Capra was willing to support.
40:10So when I felt helpless and couldn't invest in my life, I poured myself into others lives.
40:20And I have my own goals.
40:24And so I just need to figure out how to continue getting to that end goal, which is ultimately my freedom.
40:35After JJ was denied by the Manhattan DA's Conviction Integrity Unit, his attorneys filed a motion with the court to hold the hearing so he could call witnesses and prove his innocence.
40:50I had all this hope about this decision that's going to be coming down from, you know, the judge and, and found out that, you know, I had been denied.
41:05You know, I sat in silence for a lot that day.
41:12And then in the middle of the night, I realized I wasn't going to sleep.
41:17And I just started to write Dan.
41:20And I got this letter, handwritten, of course, in his beautiful penmanship.
41:27And on the upper right-hand corner, it says 4.34 a.m.
41:32Dear Dan.
41:33It is with great regret that I must sit here at this lonely hour and inform you that justice has no place in my life.
41:45And that hope is just a cruel joke.
41:48I'm writing this letter suffocating in this tiny-ass cage, bruised and battered by a horrendous decision to overlook such a terrible travesty.
41:57I want to scream so loud, but it won't make any sense because I'm not being heard.
42:03Do I have to jump off a prison tear with a noose around my neck to get people to realize that wrongful convictions are a slow death?
42:10Tell me, Dan, what's it gonna take?
42:16I'm sorry.
42:18I'll walk away.
42:40And...
42:55That letter...
43:03It was personal because...
43:06Because I cared very much for JJ.
43:19I was afraid my friend was going to kill himself.
43:25I felt such guilt.
43:31But like I failed him, you know?
43:41You know, so at that point, I had no choice but to not walk away.
43:54And I was never, ever going to stop until he got out of prison.
44:01I was never.
44:02I was never.
44:03I was never.
44:07I was.
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